Step 2: I now begin to mass in the portrait in large, simple shapes working as quickly as possible to lose the white canvas. It is always a challenge to work on white - a mid tone is easier to judge value. Color can be affected by the ground color and value. I sometimes elect to use white with that in mind, sometimes I use white to make one think differently. Always using one process can be dangerous! There are many "roads to Rome!!!" as Sargent once said!